Fire That Falls
by ShadowsWillTakeTheWorld
Summary: From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, the smoke suffocating the lives of innocents. But it is a small price to pay within the majority. The clans are ridden with disease, grief, tragedy. This fire that wipes it all out starts the clans anew, all but destroying all memory of the first clans. the fire is coming...running...waiting...for just the right moment to strike out.
1. Chapter 1

_As she looked up at the stars, the she-cat noticed and unusually bright twinkling. as she peered at it, it seemed to brightened into a blazing star. her eyes widened, and she froze. it seemed to her that the sky was getting blacker, but she knew it was only because the star continued to shine like the sun. her paws were locked to the ground, but she wanted to run or shelter. the star was getting bigger. the she-cat's tail trembled and she tried to run but she couldnt. the star shot forward, and she realized it wasnt getting bigger, but closer. she finally broke away and ran as fast as she could, but it was pointless. the comet grazed the surface of the ground, lighting a fire. rocks and dirt shot in all directions, taking the she-cat down. the fire burned through the forest, and the last thing she saw was the blaze of the fire overwhelming her._

Birchtail snapped her eyes open, trembling from the dream. she ruffled her silver fur anxiously and looked around in the warriors den and saw her still sleeping clan mates. she sighed and breathed in the cold, sharp air coming from outside. a cool breeze floated through the den and cooled her warm fur. she stood up and made her way to the entrance of the den, lightly stepping over some cat's tail.  
She stepped out and her paw mew a tiny spot of snow. she flicked her paw and stepped around it, feeling the cool air circles around her. she looked around at the peaceful camp.  
She sat out there for a few minutes, just enjoying the quiet. she shivered a bit from her paws being covered in two inches of fluffy snow. Birchtail let out a quiet sigh and went back into the stuffy den and curled up in her nest to get back to sleep. _I need to get more moss for my nest tomorrow..._she thought as she drifted off into sleep.

~~

"Birchtail, your on the dawn patrol!" Birchtail blinked her tired eyes open and found herself looking at Gorseclaw, the deputy. she sighed but it turned into a yawn as she stretched.  
"I'll be right there." she said sleepily, glancing out into the still dark camp. she shook her fur out and padded out, careful not to wake anyone. she looked around, then headed over to Rushflower, who was leading the patrol. Thornstorm and Gingerfur stood next to her.  
"Ready?" Rushflower asked, and Birchtail gave a nod. the she-cat flicked her tail and led the patrol out of camp.

as they neared the borders, Birchtail noticed a little pair of eyes looking at them from the shadows. she figured it was a mouse, but she was too tired to hunt at the moment.  
"You smell anything unusual?" Rushflower mewed, glancing at Gingerfur, who shook his head.  
"I think RainClan's been getting a bit too close with their scent markers." Thornstorm growled. Birchtail was barely paying attention to them, she was busy studying the sky.  
"Birchtail?" Gingerfur mewed.  
"Yeah?" She glanced over at him.  
"Just making sure your not still asleep."  
Birchtail rolled her eyes and focused herself on the patrolling.  
"Calm down, Thornstorm." Rushflower said, flicking the younger cat with her tail. "You say that every time we patrol."  
Thornstorm huffed and padded a few paces away.  
Birchtail flicked an ear, bored because there really was nothing to see here.  
"I think we can go back." Rushflower said, catching Birchtail's boredom.  
The rest nodded and they headed back to camp.

~~

As Rushflower lead the patrol into camp, Ashenstar came out of his den.  
"Anything there?"  
"Nothing that shouldn't be." Rushflower replied, sitting down by the warriors den.  
Birchtail glanced at her Clanmates, she was in a wierd mood, and for once she didn't have anything to do. she yawned and sat down, twitching her tail.

"Birchtail?" she glanced up at as she heard Ashenstar say her name.  
"Yes?" she mewed, tilting her head.  
"I ssomething wrong? you seem..distracted."  
She shook her head. "I'm fine, i just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." she said.  
He nodded. "You can rest now, then."  
"Okay." Birchtail dipped her head and padded into the warrior den. she found her nest and curled up to get some sleep.

_The fire spread through the forest, tearing trees down and turning the air black with smoke. she coughed and sputtered as she feebly tried to escape the overwhelming pressure on her lungs. the sky blazed bright and a bolt of fire shot down at the ground. when there fire hit the Earth exploded, sending plants, dirt, and rocks everywhere. she was pelted with peices of stone and wood, and she felt a million bleeding cuts across her fur. She collapsed and struggled away, dragging herself forward only by sheer will power. then the darkness came, slowly and excruciatingly, and her vision was no more._

Birchtail jolted awake, sending moss flying all over the den. she panted hard and looked around. she inhaled through her nose, and smeled something that sent shivers up her spine. Smoke! _she jumped out of the den_, _only to find herself falling...falling...falling..._

Birchtail yelped out loud as she actually awoke. she was panting and shivering all at once, her eyes darted all over the place to check for anything unordinary. she found nothing and finallly stopped breathing so fast. she inhaled through her nose and smelled only the crisp air of a winter day. she shook her head, _What is happening to me?_

She shook herself, trying to get read of the memories from the dreams. she had rising fear building up inside of her. she felt like something was wrong, and she could not calm herself down. she felt panicked, but she didn't want to confide in anyone. Birchtail took a deep breathe as she tried again to relax. her mind was spinning with terror and anxiety, and she was struggling to keep herself from a full out break down. she gathered herself and took a step out of the warriors den.

she sighed in relief as she looked around at the camp, full of busy cats doing there duties. _Like you should be. _she scolded herself. she padded over to Gorseclaw to hear the patrols that were going out.


	2. Alligiances,

ALLEGIANCES-SPRINGCLAN

Leader:  
Ashenstar- a smoky gray tom with amber eyes.

Deputy:  
Gorseclaw- a brown sandy tom

Medicine cat:  
Riverflight- a gray speckled tom (Apprentice- Darkpaw)

Warriors:  
Thornstorm- a golden brown tom  
Ferntail- a small gray tabby she-cat (Apprentice- Harepaw)  
Berryfur- a blue cream tortoiseshell she-cat  
Gingerfur- a strong ginger tom with green eyes  
Kestrelheart- a brown and white tabby tom  
Lightfoot- a pale ginger she-cat (Apprentice- Featherpaw)  
Rushflower- a musky brown she-cat with long fur  
Lionclaw- a big, golden tom  
Birchtail- a small silver tabby she-cat  
Cloudblaze- a mostly white tom with a few gray patches  
Skystrike- an all white tom  
Bluefang- a blue-gray tom  
Jayflight- a smoky gray tom with blue eyes

Apprentices:  
Darkpaw- a black furred she-cat  
Harepaw- a lean, pale brown tom  
Featherpaw- light gray and white she-cat

Queens:  
Honeypelt- a golden colored she-cat  
mother of:  
Cherrykit- a cream she-cat  
Yewkit- a dark ginger she-cat

Daisyleaf- a tortoiseshell she-cat (expecting Bluefang's kits)

Elders:  
Patchtail- a black and white patched tom  
Palefeather- a sandy she-cat.

DAWNCLAN

Leader:  
Mintstar- a slender gray she-cat

Deputy:  
Icetalon- a silver-gray tom (Apprentice- Smokepaw)

Medicine Cat:  
Leafbreeze- a brown tabby she-cat

Warriors:  
Hazelsong- a pale brown speckled she-cat  
Grassclaw- a brown tabby tom  
Blackstorm- a strong black tom (apprentice- Swallowpaw)  
Stormstrike- dark gray tom  
Heathershade- a light brown she-cat  
Russetheart- a dark ginger tom  
Badgerleap- a black and white tom  
Dawnwing- a tawny orange she-cat  
Robinfrost- a russet she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice- Cinderpaw)  
Silverblaze- a strong silver tom  
Rabbitfur- a brown tabby tom  
Lightberry- a pale cream she-cat (Apprentice- Petalpaw)

Apprentices:  
Smokepaw- dark gray tom  
Swallowpaw- a small black and white she-cat  
Cinderpaw- a smokey looking gray tom  
Petalpaw- a tortoiseshell she-cat

Queens:  
Poppyleaf- a tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes (expecting Silverblaze's kits)

Elders:  
Tigerstep- a dark brown tabby tom  
Mosshear- a tortoiseshell she-cat  
Junipertail- a dark ginger tom  
Roseflame- a ginger she-cat


	3. Chapter 2

When Birchtail came back to camp after a long day of patrolling, and not to mention forcing herself to stay focused, she was extremely tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. she got a robin from the fresh kill pile and nibbled on it, after plucking off the feathers.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the SharpStone for a Clan Meeting!" Ashenstar's call rang out over camp, and Birchtail held back a groan as she gathered along with the rest of the clan. she noticed Honeypelt standing proudly beside her two kits, Cherrykit and Yewkit.

"Cherrykit and Yewkit, step forward." Ashenstar said.

Cherrykit burst forward, spraying dust everywhere, while Yewkit stepped forward more calmly.

"You both have reached the age of six moons," Ashenstar said, "And you are ready to become apprentices. Cherrykit, From this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cherrypaw. Gingerfur, you received excellent training from Palefeather, and i trust that you will pass that ont o your new apprentice."

Gingerfur stepped forward proudly to touch noses with Cherrypaw.

"Yewkit, You will now be known as Yewpaw. Birchtail, your mentor was Icewind, and he passed much knowledge onto you, and i expect you to pass that unto your apprentice."

Birchtail, for a moment, forgot her strain and worry and she purred as she stepped up to touch noses with Yewpaw. the young apprentice's eye shone with eagerness.

Ashenstar smiled, and flicked his tail to show the meeting was over.

Yewpaw looked up at Birchtail. "Can we go see the territory?" She asked hopefully.

Birchtail purred. "Lets go." She lead the way out of camp with Yewpaw only a step behind.

Birchtail led her to the first place, the borders. "These are the borders with DawnClan." she said.

"They smell icky!" Yewpaw wrinkled her nose, and Birchtail twitched her ears in amusement.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" She asked with a laugh. Yewpaw nodded, and Birchtail led the way to the Pine forest.

"I like this place." Yewpaw mewed, looking around at the tall trees.

"Yes, i do too." Birchtail agreed. "This is the Pine Forest, we do a lot of our hunting here."

"Can we hunt now?" Yewpaw asked.

Birchtail shook her head with a smile. "you need to know your territory first."

"Okay." she said, bouncing up and down. 'Where to next?"

Birchtail glanced up at the sky. "Actually, Yewpaw, It's getting dark. I think we should head back and finish the tour tomorrow."

Yewpaw nodded. "Okay." She said again as they started walking back to camp.

Birchtail sat by the warriors den, watching as Yewpaw ran over to greet her sister before they both disappeared into the Apprentices Den. She gave a small sigh, dreading to sleep, but she felt asleep on her paws. she went into the warriors den, navigating her way over other nests to find her own. she she lay down, she drifted off to sleep.

When Birchtail awoke, the first emotion she felt was shock; she hadn't dreamed. the second was relief. she stretched and stood up to pad out of the warriors den. she glanced around, and realizes that it was almost sunhigh. _oh no! I slept too long!_

"Don't worry." she heard Gorseclaw's voice behind her. "I told the patrols to go on without you, you need rest."

Birchtail nodded. "Thank you."

Gorseclaw flicked his ears in acknowledgement and padded away.

Yewpaw bounded up to Birchtail the second Gorseclaw left. "Can we finish the tour?"

"Yep." Birchtail said as she again led the way from camp.

**AN: I know this chapter was shorter, sorry, but I was in a bit of a hurry as i need to go somewhere. :) **


	4. Chapter 3

The mentor and apprentice came back to camp, both tired out and their paws freezing from the snow.  
"You can get something from the fresh kill pile." Birchtail said to Yewpaw, who hurried gratefully to get a peice of prey.  
Birchtail glanced up at the sky. Its was almost dark, but she didn't want to sleep. she decided to guard the camp so she plopped down outside the warriors den and watched the camp.  
Birchtai's clanmates gradually disappeared into the dens as the sky darkened. Birchtail fluffed her fur out and glanced up at the sky again. she saw a blazing bright star, one that sent a feeling of dread through her. _Am i sleeping? did i fall asleep?" _she thought frantically as she jumped to her paws. the star was getting bigger, and her fur pricked in panic. it kept getting closer, the sharp details of the fire behind it coming out.  
"Wake up!" Birchtail yowled. "Now!"  
Cats exploded out of the dens, but it was too late as the comet grazed the surface of the Earth, spraying dust, ash, wood, trees, and smoke everywhere. It was chaos as the fire lit, raging through the camp. Birchtial couldn't see anyone as she blindly fought her way through the debris towards the entrance-or what she thought was the entrance. she cought harshly, the smoke singing her lungs. she could barely see through the clouds of dust and ash, but she kept running, she crashed into something, a tree probably, and she let out a yelp as she stumbled away, but started to run again, her lungs screaming in protest. she could hear muffled yowls from every direction, but she couldn't make out specific voices.  
Birchtail stumbled on, determined to live, and to not let the smoke overpower her. her breaths grew shallower, and the last thing she saw was the shape of a burned oak falling towards her as she collapsed.

~~

_The stars swirled around her in a dizzying motion, she squeezed her eyes hut and waited for her death as she gave up hope.  
"Oh no, Birchtail." a faintly amused voice purred in her ear. "This is not your time. You have much more to do..."  
_Hm-hmm? _She could not make sense of the cat's words, but she didn't have time to think about it as she fell with a jolt, landing on hard ground. _

~~

Birchtail awoke, coughing and sputtering. she looked around through dim and hazy eyes, trying to make sense of her surroundings. a faint stir of ashes was in the air, turning it a brown color. she tried to stand, and realized that she was engulfed in the burned branches of a small oak tree, which is what had saved her. a fire couldn't burn through something already burned. she crawled out from under it and stood up, straightening stiff legs. with a shriek of fear she jumped back, remembering the hideous fire. but as she looked around, there was no fire near her, but she could see the thick black smoke all across the forest towards camp. her heart thudded uneasily, and she looked around, still not able to see clearly.

**AN: again, kind of short. **


End file.
